Frequently Asked Questions
What is Interlibrary Borrowing?
Interlibrary Borrowing (ILB) borrows library materials and obtains copies of articles from other libraries for current UNC Chapel Hill affiliates with a valid Onyen.
Who is eligible?
Students, faculty, and staff who are currently affiliated with UNC-Chapel Hill may submit interlibrary loan requests. If you are affiliated with health sciences or the Law School, contact the Health Sciences Library or Law Library.
If you are not UNC-Chapel Hill faculty, student or staff but want access to materials owned by the University Libraries, please contact your local library.
What can I borrow?
Interlibrary loan is available for items not owned by Carolina’s libraries, for items missing from our collections, and for items being bound or repaired.
Books being used as required texts in current classes cannot be requested through interlibrary loan. Materials on reserve, reference or microform items, and other items designated as non-circulating in our collections are not eligible to be requested. Items such as audiovisual (CDs, DVDs, videos, etc.) materials, whole journal issues, genealogical works, rare books and manuscripts may be requested, but are difficult to obtain through interlibrary loan.
Note: Due to copyright restrictions, there are limits to the amount we can request from a journal or volume. Typically, it is limited to one article per issue or one chapter per volume. If you have questions, email us at uncilb@email.unc.edu.
How do I submit a request?
First time users need to create an Interlibrary Loan & Carolina BLU account, using your Onyen and password.
Before submitting an interlibrary loan request, please check the catalog to see if one of the campus libraries owns the materials you need. If you need an article from a journal, be sure to check the E-journal finder to see if it is available online.
Once you know that material is not available, log on to your Interlibrary Loan & Carolina BLU account and submit your request using the Book, Article, or Dissertation/Thesis form with as complete a citation as possible.
How long does it take?
Requests filled by Duke, NC State, or NCCU libraries usually arrive in two to four working days. Materials from other libraries may take longer, up to two or three weeks or more. Allow more time for unusual or specialized materials. Please enter a specific date on the “Not Wanted After” line on the borrowing request form.
How much will it cost?
Nothing! In the rare instance when there is a charge, you will be contacted prior to sending the request.
Books
You may select a specific library as your pickup location. An email pickup notice will be sent to you when books are available, and most items can be picked up at the service desk of your pickup location whenever that library is open. Media materials (DVDs, CDs, VHS), microforms, Library Use Only, and fragile materials must be picked up from or used in Davis.
How do I request a renewal?
Request a renewal in your Carolina BLU account. Renewals must be made by the day before the due date. The lending library sets the loan period and some libraries do not allow renewals.
Articles
We deliver articles electronically in PDF format. Log on to your Carolina BLU account and choose “Electronically Received Articles” on the main menu. You will see a list of all items that you have waiting to download. Articles must be downloaded within 30 days of delivery. After 30 days the article will no longer be available.
Questions?
Email us at uncilb@email.unc.edu or call us at (919) 962-1326.
